Kennewick Man

Ancient Human

Born: c. 7200 B.C.

Died: c. 7200 B.C. (bad luck)

Birthplace: North America

Best known as:

The ancient human whose remains were controversial in 1996

In 1996, two young men found a human skull in the Columbia River, near Kennewick, Washington. The skull was determined to be over 9,000 years old; nearly all of the skeletal remains were then found and reconstructed. Native American tribes claimed the bones were those of an ancestor and wanted the bones reburied. Scientists claimed the bones were a great archeological find and wanted the bones studied further. After years of court battles, the U.S. Appeals court sided with the scientists in 2004.